History Main / DepartmentOfChildDisservices

* Most of the plot of ''[[TheTomorrowSeries Circle of Flight]]'' is Ellie fighting to regain custody of Gavin after he is removed because there is dog faeces on their lawn, his bedroom is untidy and their dog is sleeping in there, and there is too much soft drink and too little milk in their refrigerator.

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* Most of the plot of ''[[TheTomorrowSeries ''[[Literature/TheTomorrowSeries Circle of Flight]]'' is Ellie fighting to regain custody of Gavin after he is removed because there is dog faeces on their lawn, his bedroom is untidy and their dog is sleeping in there, and there is too much soft drink and too little milk in their refrigerator.

[[folder: Film ]][[folder:Films -- Animated]]* ''Disney/LiloAndStitch'': Subverted. Cobra Bubbles initially seems unreasonable and scary with his ultimatum that Nani get a new job within three days, but he makes it clear that he's been called in as a last resort effort to salvage Lilo's problematic case. While he acknowledges that Nani loves Lilo and is certainly trying, from his point of view it's clear that she has no control over her overactive little sister, and the danger their new "dog" represents to them and everyone else only makes matters worse. Overall, Mr. Bubbles is a good effort at portraying Social Services as an antagonist while still remaining sympathetic and understandable: as he points out to Nani, as much as she and Lilo love each other, Lilo needs a safer and more stable environment than Nani is able to provide (at least until the aliens get involved and help support the family). Nani also mentions other social workers being by, suggesting that her and Lilo's situation had been under observation for some time before Cobra Bubbles showed up, subverting the whole "one bad day is enough to lose the child" issue.[[/folder]]

* ''Disney/LiloAndStitch'': Inverted. Cobra Bubbles initially seems unreasonable and scary with his ultimatum that Nani get a new job within three days, but he makes it clear that he's been called in as a last resort effort to salvage Lilo's problematic case. While he acknowledges that Nani loves Lilo and is certainly trying, from his point of view it's clear that she has no control over her overactive little sister, and the danger their new "dog" represents to them and everyone else only makes matters worse. Overall, Mr. Bubbles is a good effort at portraying Social Services as an antagonist while still remaining sympathetic and understandable: as he points out to Nani, as much as she and Lilo love each other, Lilo needs a safer and more stable environment than Nani is able to provide (at least until the aliens get involved and help support the family).** Nani also mentions other social workers being by, suggesting that her and Lilo's situation had been under observation for some time before Cobra Bubbles showed up, subverting the whole "one bad day is enough to lose the child" issue.

* Dante from ''ARushOfWings'' was deliberately put through this by the [[GovernmentConspiracy shadowy government conspiracy of mad science]] for the express purpose of turning him psychopathic. Ironically, he's the Messiah. Seems the government really can't do anything right...* Elena's backstory in ''[[WomenOfTheOtherworld Bitten]]''. Elena was horribly orphaned at five years old, and her mother's best friend volunteered to adopt her. She was rejected because she was single, and Child Services made sure Elena never saw her again, believing in "clean breaks". Instead, Elena spends the rest of her childhood being shuttled from foster home to foster home, in many of which she is sexually abused by her foster fathers and/or brothers.

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* Dante from ''ARushOfWings'' ''Literature/ARushOfWings'' was deliberately put through this by the [[GovernmentConspiracy shadowy government conspiracy of mad science]] for the express purpose of turning him psychopathic. Ironically, he's the Messiah. Seems the government really can't do anything right...* Elena's backstory in ''[[WomenOfTheOtherworld ''[[Literature/WomenOfTheOtherworld Bitten]]''. Elena was horribly orphaned at five years old, and her mother's best friend volunteered to adopt her. She was rejected because she was single, and Child Services made sure Elena never saw her again, believing in "clean breaks". Instead, Elena spends the rest of her childhood being shuttled from foster home to foster home, in many of which she is sexually abused by her foster fathers and/or brothers.

* In ''[[TheMillenniumTrilogy Men Who Hate Women]]'', [[note]] The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in the US.[[/note]] the incompetent Social Services assigns the female protagonist [[DarkAndTroubledPast Lisbeth Salander]] under the care of a [[RapeAsDrama rapist]]. Her first legal guardian was/is a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, though, and it's implied that after he had a stroke they were scrambling to find someone who could take her on very short notice--something that Bjurman took advantage of.

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* In ''[[TheMillenniumTrilogy ''[[Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy Men Who Hate Women]]'', [[note]] The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in the US.[[/note]] the incompetent Social Services assigns the female protagonist [[DarkAndTroubledPast Lisbeth Salander]] under the care of a [[RapeAsDrama rapist]]. Her first legal guardian was/is a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, though, and it's implied that after he had a stroke they were scrambling to find someone who could take her on very short notice--something that Bjurman took advantage of.

* Jada of ''YoungWives'' is a perfectly good mom with a layabout husband. The husband manages to get the entire court system on his side in a spectacular manner, to the point where Jada is barely allowed to see her children and has to have a social worker on hand whenever she does.

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* Jada of ''YoungWives'' ''Literature/YoungWives'' is a perfectly good mom with a layabout husband. The husband manages to get the entire court system on his side in a spectacular manner, to the point where Jada is barely allowed to see her children and has to have a social worker on hand whenever she does.

* ''Literature/HeroesSaveTheWorld'': Hannah Johnson thinks that Child Protective Services is this because they separated her from her other siblings when they were moved into the foster care system. However, it's common practice to separate siblings from each other when one has been Promoted To Parent for so long that they wouldn't accept an actual adult's authority and might undermine it for the other children.

* ''DanVs'' Zig zags this trope in one episode. The foster home Dan visits do a thorough background check on him, and seem to actually put some effort into placing children. But when Dan complains about the wait, the social worker takes him to a backroom where all the "problem cases" are in cage-like cribs. And they actually let him consider adopting one of them even though his background check hadn't finished yet. There's also the obligatory Straw Hippies for Dan to compete against.

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* ''DanVs'' ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'' Zig zags this trope in one episode. The foster home Dan visits do a thorough background check on him, and seem to actually put some effort into placing children. But when Dan complains about the wait, the social worker takes him to a backroom where all the "problem cases" are in cage-like cribs. And they actually let him consider adopting one of them even though his background check hadn't finished yet. There's also the obligatory Straw Hippies for Dan to compete against.

* In [[http://archiveofourown.org/series/82162 Stars from Home]], Xavier and Ruth have a hard time becoming foster parents and later adopting, falling into Type 2. Ororo is in a Catholic orphanage and they use telepathic influence to avoid issues raised by their being unmarried and not Catholic. (Although she's unhappy, the care she receives is basically competent.) Scott spent most of his life facing Type 1; when Xavier tries to adopt him, as a disabled single man, he's considered an unfit parent.[[spoiler: It's perhaps ''even worse'' that he's able to adopt Scott through bribery.]]

* Subverted in ''[[Literature/TowerAndTheHive The Rowan]]'': No one, including child services, thinks giving custody of The Rowan over to Prime Siglen is a good idea, as Siglen was known to be horribly [[ItsAllAboutMe self-aborbed]] and empathy-free. Just the type of person you want to leave the care and training of a pre-teen girl (one with strong, untrained psychic powers) to. But they had no other viable option in this case, as Siglen was the only person on the planet qualified to train a Prime Talent properly, and she (The Rowan) was too young to be shipped to another world when a more empathetic Prime (''any'' of the others) could teach (because of Prime Travel Sickness).

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* Subverted in ''[[Literature/TowerAndTheHive The Rowan]]'': No one, including child services, thinks giving custody of The Rowan over to Prime Siglen is a good idea, as Siglen was known to be horribly [[ItsAllAboutMe self-aborbed]] self-absorbed]] and empathy-free. Just the type of person you want to leave the care and training of a pre-teen girl (one with strong, untrained psychic powers) to. But they had no other viable option in this case, as Siglen was the only person on the planet qualified to train a Prime Talent properly, and she (The Rowan) was too young to be shipped to another world when a more empathetic Prime (''any'' of the others) could teach (because of Prime Travel Sickness).

* Literature/HarryPotter lives in a broom cupboard until he's eleven, owns none of his own clothes, and is clearly overworked. He lives in an affluent enough neighborhood and his cousin is treated well enough so no one could find a justification like poverty. And yet, no one ever notices.** Possibly justified as Dumbledore wanted to keep Harry behind the blood wards and could take steps to make sure no one notices or [[LaserGuidedAmnesia ends up forgetting]]. On the other hand, would it really have been too difficult to him to make some threats to the Dursleys to keep them in line? This is one thing that gives rise to the [[RonTheDeathEater Evil Dumbledore]] that seems to have invaded FanFiction.** Unfortunately, there's also a depressing justification; in RealLife it's popularly believed in many circles that child abuse can only happen to the children of {{Lower Class Lout}}s, whereas respectable middle-class people like the Dursleys would be considered above suspicion.*** Granted he did ask them to take care of Harry as if he were their own flesh and blood, and acknowledges that they didn't do as he asked in ''Half-Blood Prince.''*** And that book also pointed out that, at least in Dumbledore's opinion, the way the Dursleys shamelessly spoiled and indulged their own son Dudley was arguably ''even more'' damaging than the way they neglected Harry. Given how Harry and Dudley turned out, he may have had a point.** Dumbledore sent Mrs. Figg to spy on the Dursleys and she apparently reported that they were abusing Harry.

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* Literature/HarryPotter lives ''Literature/HarryPotter'' is forced to live in a broom cupboard until he's eleven, owns has none of his own clothes, is malnourished, and is clearly overworked. He lives in an affluent enough neighborhood bullied constantly at home and at school by his cousin is treated well enough so no one could find a justification like poverty. And yet, no one ever notices.** Possibly justified as Dumbledore wanted to keep Harry behind SpoiledBrat cousin. None of the blood wards and could take steps Muggle authorities seem to make sure no one notices or [[LaserGuidedAmnesia ends up forgetting]]. On the other hand, would it really have been too difficult to him to make some threats to notice (possibly because the Dursleys are above suspicion due to keep them in line? This is one thing that gives rise being middle-class). And while Harry ''must'' live there due to magical reasons, the [[RonTheDeathEater Evil Dumbledore]] that seems only time wizarding authorities get involved is to have invaded FanFiction.** Unfortunately, there's also a depressing justification; in RealLife it's popularly believed in many circles that child punish him for 'unauthorized use of magic' without bothering to investigate if it was actually him. Mrs. Figg, who is monitoring Harry for Dumbledore, does report the abuse can only happen but it still falls to the children of {{Lower Class Lout}}s, whereas respectable middle-class people societal misfits like the Dursleys Sirius Black and Mad-Eye Moody to actually tell them off. Given all that, getting taken away by social services would be considered above suspicion.*** Granted he did ask them to take care of Harry as if he were their own flesh and blood, and acknowledges that they didn't do as he asked in ''Half-Blood Prince.''*** And that book also pointed out that, at least in Dumbledore's opinion, the way the Dursleys shamelessly spoiled and indulged their own son Dudley was arguably ''even more'' damaging than the way they neglected Harry. Given how Harry and Dudley turned out, he may have had been a point.** Dumbledore sent Mrs. Figg to spy on the Dursleys and she apparently reported that they were abusing Harry.blessing, magic protection or no.

* In ''[[Literature/TheShipWho The City Who Fought]]'' by AnneMcCaffrey and SMStirling, the space station's brain wants to adopt a daughter who managed to stow away. Unfortunately, the social services worker assigned to the girl's case proves to be an outright bigot, and denies the application on the grounds that "a shellperson can't possibly raise a child," [[WhatAnIdiot apparently in complete ignorance of the Federation's anti-discrimination laws]].

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* In ''[[Literature/TheShipWho The City Who Fought]]'' ''Literature/TheCityWhoFought'' by AnneMcCaffrey Creator/AnneMcCaffrey and SMStirling, Creator/SMStirling, the space station's brain wants to adopt a daughter who managed to stow away. Unfortunately, the social services worker assigned to the girl's case proves to be an outright bigot, and denies the application on the grounds that "a shellperson can't possibly raise a child," [[WhatAnIdiot apparently in complete ignorance of the Federation's anti-discrimination laws]].

* ''ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' uses this trope quite frequently with Mr. Poe, who places the Baudelaire orphans in one abusive home after another for the first seven books (with the exception being book 2).** Especially notable is the first book, in which the sole criteria he uses to choose the children's guardian-to-be is how far out of his way he has to go to drop them off.

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* ''ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' uses this trope quite frequently with Mr. Poe, who places the Baudelaire orphans in one abusive home after another for the first seven books (with the exception being book 2).** Especially notable is in the first book, in which the sole criteria he uses to choose the children's guardian-to-be is how far out of his way he has to go to drop them off.

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